Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour Enigma
by smithANDnoble
Summary: Did the Doctor return Amy to the right timeline when he closed the crack in her wall, or did he just create another horrific problem for another ginger haired female he once new  Now Rated M
1. Chapter 1:

**Prologue**

**1998**

**Somewhere in time and space**

"Donna may I come in?" Ten knocked at the door to Donna's room. He was worried about her; he had been for a while now. Ever since the Library, and the whole incident with her fictional family. Yes Donna had told him she was fine, but in the same sentence she indicated she was far from that. So was he; but he moved on and got over it, and in doing so thought Donna would do the same; However to his dismay she didn't.

"Donna?" he questioned her name again, with a slight knock that jarred the door open. He could see her from where he stood. She was lying on the bed with her back to him, crying. It was something she'd been doing a lot lately; crying. "Donna; it's been over an hour... Are you okay?"

"Yes; yes I'm fine." Ten watched Donna scurry to sit up; wiping her eyes as she turned to him. Of course that did no good with them still red and puffy, but she had to at least try and continue her charade. "See I'm fine; took two aspirin and headaches gone. I'm fine."

"Are you sure**?"** Ten asked as he put his hands into his pants pockets and leaned against the wall. "Or is "I'm fine" Donna Noble's way of saying She's not fine?"

"Doctor**,**I'm fine."

"Donna, I heard you crying."

"I.. I wasn't crying." Donna wiped more tears from her eyes, then sniffled. "Doctor**,**I'm fine; maybe a little tired, but that's all. Nothing's wrong really."

"Donna, I know you." Ten paused as he walked over to Donna's bed, handing her a tissue before he sat down. "Something's wrong, and I need to know what it is."

"Why?" Donna wiped her eyes with the tissue, then under her nose. "Doctor**, **I really don't know what you want from me; what you want me to tell you..."

"How about the truth." **Ten took** hold of Donna's hand; he could see the pain in her eyes, and it burned through both his hearts. How could he have brought this upon her? Sure Donna may have seemed like she wore a thick shell, but once you got to know her; it, that thick shell, was just a thin mask. A thin mask created to cover the real vulnerable human being underneath. "Donna, I know **you're**hurting. I can see it in your eyes, and hear it your voice. You've changed since the Library; you many not think you have, but... Please Donna, talk to me... Trust me..."

"But I do trust you. Doctor, I trust you with my life; my life, always."

"But not with your pain?" Ten took hold of Donna's hands and held them tight between his, staring in her eyes as he spoke. He knew she blamed him for what happened because he blamed himself; He had brought her there. He had subjected her to that. He had been the catalyst to her change; the nightmares, and the constant emotional pain.

"Donna I know you blame me for what happened at the Library; I blame myself but..."

"Doctor**,**I'm alright, and I don't blame you for anything... I'm just tired that's all."

"Donna**, **don't lie to me." **Ten** paused; he knew Donna all **too**well to accept that she was just tired as an answer, just as he knew not to accept her headache excuse earlier. "Love, something's very wrong**; **I need to know what it is."

"I can't tell you..." Donna answered as soon as, and unable to fight the tears, she looked down. "I wish I could but I can't, and it's not because I don't want to; I just can't."

"Because it hurts to much? Or because you don't trust me anymore?" Ten paused when Donna, still not looking up to him, nodded and added.

"Both, but that's not all."

"Then what**,**Donna?" Ten ran his hand up and down Donna's arm; occasionally touching her hair. This pain was more **than**just the; he could see that, but no matter how much he needed to know just how deep this went Donna had to be the one to tell him. Sure he could pry into her memories and find out, but with the way Donna had been acting he knew that option would only hurt her more. "Donna, you have to know that **whatever** pain your feeling; **whatever** it is that's tormenting you.. Donna I want to help you, but I can't if you won't open up to me."

"I don't know; I keep having these dreams about the **Library**. I wake up, and I don't know where I am; if I'm here, or if I'm still in the computer. I can't **breathe****sometimes**, and..." Donna paused then with a slight hesitation looked back up to Ten. "Am I going crazy**, **Doctor? Am I... I don't know... Am I crazy?"

"No you're not crazy." **Ten let go of Donna's hand, and with a **sympathetic smile, and a gentle touch to her cheek went on to explain why. "Donna, the child in that program; she convinced you that you were married; that you had conceived, carried and birthed two children; raised them."

"And it also made me believe I was mentally unstable." Donna's voice cracked slightly when she realized that it; the computer, that little girl might have been right. "Doctor I don't know what's real anymore; you, here and now... The TARDIS. I'm scared, I never want to go back to that place again. That hospital, those doctors..."

"But they weren't real Donna; it wasn't real. That whole part of your life wasn't real."

"But it was..." Donna closed her eyes tight; covering them when she brought her knees to her chest. Everything had gone so wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen to her; that part of her life was supposed to be over; it was years ago, yet with one act of a computerized child it was happening all over again. "You don't, you can't understand you weren't there"

"Donna maybe I should take you home."

"No I don't want to go home." Donna uncovered and opened her eyes; still keeping her knees near her chest as she shook her head. Home was the last place she wanted to be while dealing with this; her mother would never understand what happened. "Please I don't want to go home; I just need more time."

"Donna it's been months since the **Library**; maybe if you went home, and found someone you could talk to about this." Ten went to touch Donna's face, but this time she turned away. "Donna I'm very worried about you, and I don't know what to do because you won't let me help you. Donna please; I care a lot about you, and I don't want anything to happen."

"Like what?"

"Like what happened here." The Doctor had a hard time prying Donna's hands away from her legs, but when he did, he turned them over to reveal two scars; one on each wrist which he ran his thumb over. "Donna up till now I've never asked you about these scars, or what caused you to take such drastic measures..."

"I know."

"Donna I'm scared."

"It was a long time ago." Donna answered but remained staring at her knees; no one had ever noticed the scars on her wrists let alone asked her about them. Either that or they were **too**preoccupied with their own life, and didn't care to take time out of it to acknowledge they were there. "I was young Doctor, so you don't have to worry about me trying that again."

"I beg to differ, because I think I do need to worry; about you doing that again." the Doctor motioned to the glass near Donna's bed, and prescription bottle of medication. It might not have been a raiser, but it was something just as lethal. "When did you get those?"

"Last time I was home; I think." Donna looked to the bottle of pills. She hadn't been home since the Library, so maybe before that. "I don't know, maybe I had them with me. Did you get them for me?"

"No I didn't." Ten shook his head then picked up the bottle, reading the label before clearly naming off the top of his head, every side **effects**he knew of that coincided with Donna's current symptoms. "Donna this alone, the side **effects**that come with it... abnormal thinking; behavior changes, confusion, hallucinations; memory problems, mood swings and suicidal thoughts.. Do you really; knowing that you'd tried to take your own life **once**; do you think I would give this to you?"

"I don't know."

"Donna you need help; help I apparently can't give you." Ten kept running his fingers up and down the two scars; two perfectly straight lines in the middle of her wrists. When he felt Donna's body relax, he eased her from the position she was in to one where she was able to put one leg under her body. "Donna I can't lose you; not like this."

"But you won't lose me; Doctor I promised that I would be with you forever, and I meant it."

"Then why can't you look at me?" Ten asked then added, when Donna who was still staring at the pill bottle near her, wouldn't look back to him. "Donna I need you to look at me. Why did you try to take your own life?"

"It's complicated..."

"Donna look at me." W**hen**Ten spoke, this time he forced Donna to look at him. He had to get her to talk to him; to tell him the truth before history repeated itself. "Please Donna, if you can't talk to me..."

"Do you know what that's like to be a mum?"

"No, but I do know what it's like to be a father; outside of Jenny that is." The Doctor paused; he had mentioned this to her once before, but at this point in time, he knew reminding her would be inappropriate. "On my home planet; I had a wife, and two children; I even had grandchildren, but that was a long time ago. Have you; before the Library that is, thought about being a mum?"

"I didn't have to think about it. I was a **mum,**" Donna took a breath, and **threw**caution to the wind. He told her she could trust him, and now with what she was about to tell him; she was putting his promise to the test. "I was a real mum, with a real pregnancy, and a real baby. A daughter I think. It was a long time ago, but very real; maybe, I guess."

"How long ago?" Tenasked and then with great concern, hoping Donna's psyche wasn't as broken as she was now portraying it to be, asked**,**"And how come you've never told me this? Before now."

"Because it's not something I'm not proud of, and as such it's something I don't like to talk about."

"How old were you Donna?"

"Why? **Don't**you believe me?"

"Donna I believe you, I just need to make sure your memories aren't being **misled**by the medication you're taking on top of what happened at the Library." Ten paused. "Donna, the human mind is very delicate, and just one alteration of any memory can cause it to break down. Make it create things that never happened, or manipulate the ones that did. And on top of that you added a medication..."

"Right; so now you're telling me what? I'm having some sort of mental breakdown, and it's my own fault?" Donna snapped at him. "I had to sleep Doctor; what else was I supposed to do?"

"Talk to me." Ten stopped short of agreeing with her on the mental break down; yes she was having one, but pointing that out to her just didn't seem like a wise thing to do. "Donna I need you to tell me how old you were, because I need to know how much is real, and how much is just.. I don't know.. Please Donna, how old were you?"

"Sixteen; I was sixteen, and before you ask, it was a boy from school." Donna began to rattle off the information Ten wanted to hear, all in one breath including**,**"The kind of boy you bring home to your parents, because they don't see, or want to see how much he drinks, or how much he likes to hit you; why because you wear **makeup**, and cover the bruises, or his parents status makes it easy for them to ignore the black and blue marks."

"Okay first of all Donna, sixteen is not near old enough to know better." The Doctor ran his hand over her cheek, wiping a tear from her eye. "And I don't care how much your parents, or most likely, and more precisely your **mum**liked him; Donna no one has the right to hurt you... Status or no status."

"Doctor please..."

"Did your **dad**or your grandparents know what was going on?"

"No; they didn't." Donna shook her head; she had done a very good job of covering it up by making excuses. Wearing **too**much makeup, or clothes inappropriate for that time of the year. Occasionally her father would ask her, but in her most reassuring of ways, Donna would make him **believe**everything was alright. "My **dad**suspected something, but I convinced him otherwise."

"And **your** mum never noticed a thing?"

"The only thing my mum ever noticed about Stephen; oh yeah right his name was Stephen by the way" Donna paused. "Well the only thing she ever noticed was that her lazy, good for nothing daughter was finally hooking herself a soon to be lawyer. She was so angry when he broke up with me."

"And this breakup happened when you told him you were pregnant?"

"You really think it wouldn't? You really think a guy like him would want to be tied down to someone like me?" Donna paused; she never did believe she was good enough for anyone; mostly because her mother had made a point **of**telling her she wasn't. "You have got to be kidding me; no he ran the minute I told him. Said I did it on purpose to make him marry me."

"And did you?"

"Yeah I did." Donna answered with sarcasm**;**half admitting that in fact her answer was the truth before asking him. "Do you blame me?"

"No Donna; I don't blame you at all." Ten paused. "Your **mum**made it hell for you, and when this jerk came along, you not only saw a way out of that hell, but a way to finally make Sylvia happy. When did you find out you were pregnant?"

"A couple weeks before Christmas; I um... I was getting sick a lot. My mum didn't want to hear it, but my dad, he was worried." Donna began to chew at her lip till Ten stopped her, running his thumb over it as he stared into her eyes. "She always thought that **whatever**I did, it was for attention. Not my **dad**though; he wanted me to go see a doctor, he knew something was wrong."

"Did he suspect you might be pregnant?"

"No.. Yes.. Maybe; I think my **mum** did, but she never let on."

"When did you confirm you were?"

"Two days before Christmas, my **dad** finally had it and he took me to be seen."

"What did you tell him?"

"I lied; told him it was the flu." Donna paused and took a breath. She remembered how worried her dad was when he took her; he even stayed till she came out. She hated lying to him, but she also knew if she told him the truth that **he would see**her in the light her mother did, and she just couldn't deal with that. "My mum already looked at me like a piece of trash, all I had was my dad, and my grandparents. I **couldn't**tell him."

"Who did you tell? Other **than**the baby's father that is."

"I told my Aunt Sharon; she **drove down**for Christmas. She and my Uncle." Donna paused and thought about that Christmas; the fight, the things her mother said about her. "I was sick for Christmas, and I couldn't eat so my **mum** started on me; there was an argument at dinner and I left. My aunt followed me outside; I couldn't stop throwing up. She waited, held my hair back, and then when I was done she asked me how far along I was."

"And you told her?"

"Yeah; eight weeks."

"What did your aunt say?"

"She gave me choices; one was, and only if I wanted to keep the baby; to tell the father, and see what happened with that; but I already told you what happened there." Donna tried to look away again but Ten wouldn't let her. She had no reason to be ashamed of her self, or of what happened. "Doctor..."

"Donna, there is no need to be ashamed of this." Ten with one hand on her cheek, sympathetically took one of hers into his. "You were young, it happens."

"That's what my **aunt**said."

"Well your **aunt** seems to be a lot brighter **than** your **mum**." Ten paused then asked about the other choices Donna had been given, and the usual terminating the pregnancy, or raising the baby on her own were given. It was the last however; that her **aunt** and **uncle** adopt the baby that Donna informed him she'd chosen.

"I knew she wanted a baby; she'd been trying for years with no luck. She had two miscarriages, and I knew raising the baby was out of the question as was terminating the pregnancy; God I was so stupid..."

"**First of all Donna you weren't stupid; you were young." ****Ten tightened his grip on her hand, stopping her again from looking away. ****"Donna listen to me; you weren't stupid."**

"I was reckless; Exactly what my **mum** said I was...I didn't care about anything, or anyone other **than**myself." Donna paused. "I was sixteen years old Doctor; regular every month, and not on the pill. I chose to disregard that; I had unprotected sex, more **than** once, and it caught up with me. It was my fault. I wanted it, and it happened. I have no one to blame but myself."

"And I suppose this bloke; this Stephen, he had nothing to do with it?" Ten paused, moving his hand from her chin, to her cheek then to rest on her neck. "Donna there are such things as condoms, you know that; he knew that."

"You don't understand; my mum liked him."

"Yeah well I hate to say it Donna, but your **mum**... She's a bitch." The Doctor paused when he pulled his hand from Donna's neck; allowing it to rest on her leg. He knew he had overstepped the boundaries of their relationship with both his touch, and his words, but when Donna didn't come back at him with a swing or hostile words, he went on to ask**,**"And since when have you ever cared about what your **mum** wanted or thought? You know what don't answer that, it's not really important. What is however, is what happened to you; after you had your baby. I'm assuming you didn't have it here in England."

"No, I went to Scotland right after Christmas; spent the rest of my pregnancy there. I was a little early in delivering, but they said that and the seventy-two hours in labour was because of my age."

"Seventy-Two hours?" Ten cringed at the thought of the physical pain she'd endured, and then in the end; after all that, the emotional pain of leaving her daughter behind. "Donna that sounds like a long time, even with your age."

"**I was in what they call hard labor for two of those; after my waters broke." Donna paused, now she could talk about it as if it were nothing, but back then the pain she was in. She thought she was going to die, and all the midwife could do was tell her to breath and push. "I don't know Doctor, I guess if I had been in a hospital they could have done something to lessen the pain, or quicken the whole process."**

"You weren't in a hospital?"

"No I was at home; my aunt's home."

"Why the bloody hell were you not at a hospital?" Ten knew his tone was snappy, but Donna was sixteen and it was her first child. "Donna you were sixteen years old, you belonged in a hospital."

"I know, but I couldn't be; this was my **aunt's** child remember." Donna scratched the back of her head. "Everything had to be perfect; she would give birth at home, and no questions would be asked."

"What if there were complications? Donna you could have died." Ten's eyes filled with anger; not with Donna but with everyone else included in the situation. "Donna do you know the complications that could have taken place; previa placenta for one, then there's the possibility of a breach birth.. Donna, you could have bled to death."

"I know, but I didn't care; it wasn't about me. It was about my daughter, and I wanted my daughter to have good parents, and a good home." Donna paused, tears flowing as she sobbed. "Doctor please don't be angry with me; I did what I thought best for Amy. I'm sorry."

"Donna I'm not angry with you; And you have no need to be sorry." Ten paused then seeing it was time to change the subject, he wiped the tears from her eyes once again, and after allowing Donna to calm down, focused in on the fact that she referred to her daughter by a name. "So you called your daughter Amy?"

"Well sort of; I wanted to call her Amy, but my aunt preferred Amelia." Donna paused and took a breath, then let it out. Her head was starting to hurt, but she knew another headache, no **matter**how real it was this time, wouldn't detour the Doctor from wanting to know more. "I guess it was close enough, Amelia to Amy."

"How long did you stay?"

"Not long; well long enough to lose the weight I needed to keep up the lie." Donna paused then looked to her wrists, this time without Ten's help. It was so long ago, but with each word she spoke she could feel the razor sliding across her flesh as if it were just happening. "I did this there, the day before I was supposed to come home."

"Who found you?"

"My Aunt; I was in the downstairs bathroom. She'd been worried." Donna's headache went from bad to worse as she thought about that morning; the throbbing feeling like a marching band in her head. Then it happened; everything that up till she looked at her wrists; everything that she said, that had made perfect sense, began to unravel. It was like her dreams had jumped from her sleeping state to her woken one.

"Donna what's wrong?"

"My head... I can't..."

"You can't what?"

"But I'm awake." Donna ran her fingers over her scars as Ten had done earlier; she was awake. Why was this happening? Why was her real life, in the blink of an eye, swapping place with her fictional one; she had no control while she was sleeping, but she was awake now.

"Donna?"

"The doctors there said I suffered from postpartum depression after; you know so I tried to. " Donna continued to stare at her wrists, even after the mess in her mind slowed down. "After having her.. After leaving Amy; no Ella.. Leaving them... I... It was all just so much, Ella and Joshua and mum being angry because Lee; no Stephen left me, and then giving birth... I just couldn't handle it."

"Donna..."

"Aunt Sharon sends my mum pictures of them; no of her... Ella, Amy...for the special occasions. "Donna began to take shorter breaths, her eyes never leaving her wrists as they widened and her hands began to tremble. "My **mum**says she; um, she goes along with it but... Doctor what's happening to me?"

"Donna tell me about your **dad**." Ten could tell he was **losing**her, at least mentally losing her, so he tried to grasp onto something that would bring Donna back to reality. "What did he think? How did he react to you trying to kill yourself?"

"I don't know." Donna remembered her dad; he was always trying to smooth things over between **her**and her mother. Always trying to get her **mum** to see her in the light he did; it never happened, but he never stopped trying. "He was so good when I came back; only one other then you, and my grandfather who noticed the scars on my wrists."

"So he knew you tried to kill yourself?"

"Yes; he wanted me to get some help... to talk to someone but I couldn't." Donna clenched her fists, then released them. "I had already been in that hospital; after I did this. My **aunt**, and those **doctors**made me, before I came home..."

"Donna what hospital?"

"Clifton Psychiatric Hospital." Donna looked from her wrists to Ten, pleading with him. "Doctor don't make me go back there; the hospital or the computer.. Please."

"Donna come here." **Knowing**the time was right, Ten reached out to Donna, pulling her into his arms as he wrapped them around her; holding onto her as she held onto him.

"I don't know what's real anymore..."

"I know; I know you don't." Tenran his hand over Donna's back; holding the other tight against the back of her neck as he spoke. "And I'm sorry because this is all my fault."

"I don't know what to do; it's all so messed up." Donna held onto Ten tighter, feeling that if she did , then somehow he would keep her grounded. "Everything that happened, and didn't happen. And the **Library**; It's too much. I can't handle it. I need to make it stop."

"Need to make it stop; Donna look at me." Hearing the words she spoke, almost the same as she spoke earlier, Ten pushed her away; placing both his hands on her arms. "You can handle this; I know you can, because I'm here to help you. You don't have to make anything stop; I will. I promise."

"Before I knew what was happening." Donna shook her head as she spoke. "I knew it was real, with Stephen and Amy but now; the **Library**, the children and that Dr Song and everything's just wrong. You may think I can, that I'm tough and all but **it's **an act."

"I know it is; Donna you are not as nearly tough as you try to make people believe you are."

"Doctor this is too much. I wake up every day, and I wonder if I'm real."

"I know, and Donna I'm hearing you." Ten moved his hands from her arms to her face; locking his fingers in place before kissing her forehead. "You don't need to do anything drastic to make me; Donna I hear you, and I see you."

"But what if you're not real?"

"Donna, I'm real, and so are you. Amy's real." Ten kissed her forehead again, this time leaving his lips there for a moment longer **than**before, and knowing if he wasn't able to he'd lose her for certain, added**,**"Donna I need to do something; it will fix everything."

"No medications, no shrinks; Doctor **please**."

"Donna there is no way I would let anyone medicate you; and I am sure as hell not putting someone I love in the hands of a modern day quack doctor."

"Then what? What are you going to do? Nothing can help me now."

"Donna what I am going to do to you; it's called a memory wipe and it will help you**,"** the Doctor paused, and place his hands on Donna's face. "It will wipe out the pain; the memories**.**Whatever is making you feel this way; it will vanish. You will never have to feel like this again."

"But what about Amy.. She's my daughter." Donna placed her hands over Ten's. "I can't forget her; she's my daughter."

"Donna I'm not talking about Amy; I'm talking about the Library." the Doctor paused. "Everything you went through in the **Library**; I want to take that away. Just the **Library**."

"Not Amy?"

"No Donna; not Amy."

"Okay." Donna nodded in agreement with the Doctor, and then added before he **melded** with her mind. "But just the Library**, **not Amy... Never Amy."


	2. Chapter 2:

[this Chapter has been changed to add more into Donna's parts. I hope you continue to read even with these changes being made, as it is still a work in progress]

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><p><strong>2010 London<strong>

**Inside the Tardis Moments after Donna's wedding/Before Regeneration**

"Never Amy..."

It was the last thing the Doctor; the tenth reincarnation of himself thought of when he entered his Tardis. Alone, no Donna by his side as she had been that day in the Library. No that Donna was dead; dead and for the better. At lest for her. At least now, without him and his deadly travels she would have a chance to live a normal life.

A normal life with a husband who loved her, and possible two children. He had already made secret previsions for a least one. A tiny seed planted so that at the exact moment in time; the right moment, it would begin to bloom.

Call it an "I'm sorry" gift for the pain in the library; the pain he had taken away from her but still needed to make up for. Or was it the fact that, and even though she had begged him to never let her forget Amy. Amy her daughter that she had given up so long ago.

Yes that was it; that was very much it. He had gone against her wishes and taken something from her that he could never replace. How he did it he still had no clue; after all it was just supposed to be the time she had spent with him. But then again it wasn't as if mind erasing was a art of perfection, there was always those minor glitches that occurred when playing around with the human brain.

Human brain... He thought, what it would be like to have a mere human brain. All the pain and suffering he wouldn't see, and to have one life; one heart.

Yes he had been human once; human enough to fall in love with a mortal woman. Human enough to marry, and have a child with. Of course that never really did happen; it was just a glimpse into the future before some alien species came along and ruined it for him.

Ruined it as they always did; the Doctor was never meant to be happy. He had destroyed so many things; so many lives, so why would he even dream of a life in which he was happy.

But still, and even with that knowledge, and the fact that his body was about to regenerate into yet another incarnation of himself he didn't want to go. He wasn't ready to trade himself in, and he wasn't afraid to let that be known verbally by saying

"But I don't want to go." before everything began to glow.

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><p><strong>December 2010<strong>

**London**

**Home of Donna Temple-Noble and Shaun Temple**

**During the Regeneration**

It was Christmas time all over the globe, but no place showed that more then the home of Donna Temple-Noble and her new husband Shaun Temple.

Wilf Mott and Sylvia Noble; Donna's father, and Grandfather had just left after having a catered dinner, but still their coffee cups; a small reminder of them being there sat on the mahogany coffee table.

"Donna; I thought your mother was going to fall over when she opened her Christmas gift." Donna turned in the direction her husbands voice came from which was directly to her right, and adjacent to the living room where she sat. It was a large, modern kitchen which was designed from the cupboards to utensils in Donna's own style.

"I know." Donna answered, and then pulled a quilted blanket over her legs. "It was priceless."

"Your grandfather was very happy to hear the news." Shaun smiled as he added sugar to the cup. "But I think he already knew; still don't know how your mum didn't."

"My mum didn't know, because she didn't want to know." Donna smiled then took a breath. "I'm used to it though; she's getting better."

"Still I don't understand why, or how she couldn't notice her only daughter was pregnant." Shaun entered the room to find Donna with her legs curled up under her. "I made you a cup-a-tea to help settle your stomach."

"Thank you." Donna accepted the tea, but put it on the table near her. "Shaun there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Is it the baby's name?' Shaun paused then sat near her. "Because I really don't mind Amy..."

"No it's not that; but thank you." Donna paused and thought about the name. "I know how much you had wanted to name the baby after your mother."

"Then we name her Amy Jessica..." Shaun paused then took hold of Donna's hand. "Or we can save Jessica for the next baby."

"Next baby?" Donna's eyes widened. "How many children do you plan on having?"

"As many as you want; it's all up to you." Shaun paused then asked. "But we don't have to talk about that right now; tell me what you wanted to talk about?"

" Shaun, I don't want to go to Scotland..." Donna Temple-Noble sat on her sofa with her legs curled up underneath her and a purple throw blanket over them. "I like it here in London; besides this is my grandfather's first grandchild, and I want him to be there for her as he was there for me."

"Yeah I know..."

"No you don't..." Donna paused; she knew it was for the better with Shaun's promotion, but it wasn't as if they needed the money. It wasn't as if they didn't have enough money from the lottery they one. "I'm happy here in London. And besides what about Gran-Dad; I want him in my daughter's life as he was in mine."

"And he will be" Shaun assured Donna. "Wilf will be a big part of our daughter's life, I promise that but I have no choice in that matter of moving."

"It's not fair... All my friends are here, and my family. " Donna paused. "You know it's almost impossible for me to make new friends; hell I have a hard time keeping hold of the ones I have."

"Donna you're too hard on yourself; you'll make friends." Shaun knelt near Donna and took hold of her hand. "lot's of friends; especially once the baby comes."

"Yeah I guess you're right; but still..." Donna brought her hand to cover her eyes. "Okay I'm sick of this morning sickness; morning sickness. Bloody thing lasts all day. And not just for that, but I thought it was supposed to go away after the first trimester."

"Doctor said it could last throughout your entire pregnancy." Shaun paused then reached over to retrieve her tea cup; handing it to her. "Here drink some of you're tea; see if that helps."

* * *

><p><strong>2010 London<strong>

** Inside the Tardis **

**After regeneration**

Glowing; lots of Glowing and a very angry Tardis that decided to burst into flames mid flight. And did I mention lots of glowing...  
>Gold; like stardust coming out of the Doctor as he screamed in agony.<p>

Screamed in agony as one form fought to overcome the dying form, till finally it happened.

The eleventh regeneration had taken place; the tenth was no more.. The eleventh had arrived, and as with most generations so did the changes.

* * *

><p><strong>December 2010 <strong>

**London **

**Home of Donna Temple-Noble and Shaun Temple**

**After the Regeneration**

"I know I'm sounding selfish again; but I guess changes can be good thing." Donna nodded after a moment of hesitation, then sipped at her tea. She wasn't fully taken by the idea, but some part of her knew it had to happen. "Just look at my mum; except for when she found out I was pregnant, she's been treating me like a human being. I actually believe she might love me."

"Donna, of course she loves you." Shaun kissed Donna's cheek. "Sylvia; she just has a hard time of showing it."

"Yeah he always has." Donna rolled her eyes just a little. "My dad loved me; always spoiled me is what my mum used to say. "She's never going to amount to nothing if you keep doing everything for her"

"But you did..."

"And what's that?" Donna paused and thought about what she had just asked. "Oh Shaun that sounded horrible, but you know what I mean. Don't you?"

"Yes Donna I do."

"I don't know, maybe my dad did spoil me; but I think it was just because my mum was so hard on me." Donna paused. "I think she really wanted a boy; you're not disappointed were not having a boy?"

"Donna, as long as the baby has one head, two legs and five fingers on each hand." Shaun paused then added. "And she's healthy, whether she's a boy or a girl does not matter in the least to me."

* * *

><p><strong>2010 London <strong>

**Inside the Tardis **

**After regenration**

"Legs, I've still got legs" Yes he still had legs; he was happy about that. So happy in-fact he lifted his left one and kissed his knee.

"Good. Arms, hands. ooh, fingers, lots of fingers." again he was pleased that his body was in tact and in the right place; you knew this by the way he touched each arm and played with all his ten fingers.

"Ears, yes, eyes too." the doctor continued his self examination, frantic to make sure he had not been some out turned into a mutant; or worse a Dalek.

" Nose, I've had worse. Chin, blimey. Hair..." Yes hair; he always had nice hair... Nicely cut and...

"I'm a girl!" Cheekbones, Adam's apple... Check. " No, no! I'm not a girl." again hair..."I'm still not ginger."

Still not Ginger; Still NOT Ginger.. Oh well not the time and moment for him to be thinking about that when...

"There's something else, there's something important..." the Doctor Paused. "I'm I'm I'm crashing... GERONIMO!"


	3. Chapter 3:

**1996**

**Home of Amelia Pond's Aunt Sharon**

"Dear Santa. Thank you for the dolls and pencils and the fish" Seven year old Amelia Pond knelt near her bed; praying to Santa. "It's Easter now, so I hope I didn't wake you. But honest, it is an emergency." the ginger-haired girl paused and then turned to a crack in her wall. "There's a crack in my wall. Aunt Sharon says it's just an ordinary crack, but... I know it's not, because, at night, there's voices. So please, please, could you send someone to fix it? Or a policeman. Or..."

A noise outside Amelia's aunt's home caused her to stop then say; to pause her conversation with Santa... "Be back in a moment" before she went to the window, to peek outside.

No she didn't think she'd be seeing Santa and his rain-deers, although that probably would have made more sense then the giant box that materialized and trashed her aunt's shed.

"Thank you, Santa."

* * *

><p><strong>December 2010<strong>

**London **

**Home of Donna Temple-Noble and Shaun Temple**

"Okay so I've locked up the back; let Muffins do his business before I did." Shaun, content with Donna drinking her tea was re-entered the living room holding one of Donna's presents; a purebred Maltese puppy by the name of Muffins. When he didn't get a response from Donna, he went onto ask...

"Are you sure you want him to sleep with us? His paws are a little muddy?" before he saw the tea cup she had been drinking out of hanging; the liquid that was in it spilled on the blanket, and Donna's blank stare.

"Donna.." Quickly and gently he placed the puppy down before he pulled the cup from Donna's hand. "Donna you spilled your tea."

"Huh?" Donna tilted her head, a little confused till she felt Shaun take hold of her arm where it was a bright red. "Oh I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry..." Shaun paused. "Sit here I'll go get cold water for that."

"No..." Donna looked at him a little funnier then usual. "An apple."

"And apple?" Shaun asked with a confused expression. "What do you need an apple for a burn?"

"No I want to eat the apple; I'm craving an apple."

* * *

><p><strong>1996<strong>

**Home of Amelia Pond's Aunt Sharon**

"Can I have an apple? All I can think about – apples. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving. That's new - never had cravings before." the mad man, or as Amelia had discovered him; the very same one who had been carrying on about an apple and cravings came to climb to seated on the bottom now side of the Tardis then looked back in. "Whoa! Look at that!"

"Are you OK?"

"Just had a fall. All the way down there, right to the library." the Doctor paused. "Hell of a climb back up."

"You're soaking wet." Amelia paused...

"I was in the swimming pool."

"You said you were in the library." Amelia frowned and narrowed her eyes; a blue box, on it's side with a mad man who claimed to be in a box and the library at the same time. She waited for him to answer then got a simple...

"So was the swimming pool."

"Are you a policeman?"

"Why? Did you call a policeman?"

"Did you come about the crack in my wall?"

"What cra...?" the madman asked then fell from where he sat to the ground then jerked about a bit before saying... "Agh!"

Are you all right, mister?

"No, I'm fine, it's OK." the madman knelt when he spoke, and then went onto say "This is all perfectly norm..." before he let a small amount of gold stardust leave his mouth.

"Who are you?

_"_I don't know yet. I'm still cooking." the madman answered then looked at his hands. They were glowing the same color that had come from his mouth. "Does it scare you?"

"No, it just looks a bit weird."

"No, no, no." the madman shook his head the explained himself with. "The crack in your wall. Does it scare you?

"Yes." Amy answered which caused the madman to stand up; no jump up and say. "Well, then, no time to lose." plus "I'm the Doctor. Do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions and don't wander off." before walking straight into a tree.

* * *

><p><strong>December 2010<strong>

** London**

** Home of Donna Temple-Noble and Shaun Temple**

** After the Regeneration **

"Alright; one apple and one paper towel containing one ice cube." Shaun handed Donna the apple, and then began to care for the slight burn on her arm. "How did you not feel this?"

"I guess I was too busy thinking..." Donna bit into the Apple and then made a face. "It's a bit sour."

"It's a granny-smith Donna it's supposed to be sour." Shaun held one hand under Donna's arm, while the other pressed the ice pack against the burn. "So what were you thinking about? Was it Scotland?"

"Yeah.. No, not really... Just; um." Donna paused then stated the obvious when the phone rang by saying. "The telephone's ringing."

"Yes I know that." Shaun answered as he looked over Donna's minor burn.

"Are you going to answer it?"

"Nope." Shaun looked up at Donna with a smile. "I'm not."

"But it could be your mum?" Donna paused then added. "Do you really want her to think I'm keeping you from answering the phone?... After you told her I'd picked another name; Amy for the baby and not Jessica?"

"Right." Shaun half stood, and waited for Donna to take over care of her arm. "I'll be right back."

* * *

><p><strong>1996<strong>

**Home of Amelia Pond's Aunt Sharon**

"What's your name?" The Doctor, who and only after trying various foods to which he didn't like, asked Amelia her name while biting into a custard covered fish finger.

"Amelia Pond." Amelia answered; she wasn't really into the whole idea of fish fingers, and custard but she did very much like the bucket of ice cream in front of her.

"Ah, that's a brilliant name." the Doctor Paused. "Amelia Pond, like a name in a fairy tale. Are we in Scotland, Amelia?"

"No." Amy answered with a tone of disgust, and then added. "We had to move to England. It's rubbish."

"So what about your mum and dad, then?" The Doctor; oh yes from now on, if you had not already caught on; the madman in a blue box or otherwise referred to as the doctor asked. Then added.."Are they upstairs? Thought we'd have woken them by now."

"I don't have a mum and dad. Just an aunt."

"I don't even have an aunt."

"You're lucky."

"I know. So, your aunt. Where is she?"

"She's out."

"And she left you all alone?"

"I'm not scared."

'Course you're not. You're not scared of anything! Box falls out of the sky, man falls out of box, man eats fish custard, and look at you, just sitting there. So you know what I think?

"What?"

"Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall."

* * *

><p><strong>December 2010<strong>

** London**

** Home of Donna Temple-Noble and Shaun Temple**

** After the Regeneration **

"Alrighty then.. That's all set." Shaun rubbed both his hands together when he approached Donna, who stood up dropping the apple to the couch near her.. "Yes it was my mum, and yes she's still a little upset about the name but no worries."

"No worries." Donna smiled then covered her eyes and leaned against him.

"Hey?" Shaun let her lean against him, then brushed his hand against her cheek. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine... Just a little dizzy." Donna paused. "Stood up too fast is all; got a little nauseous too."

"If you want I can make you another cup-a-tea..." Shaun paused. "I promise this time I won't let you spill it."

"No that's okay, I think it best I just go lie down." Donna smiled about the spilling part, as the burn on her arm began to faintly sting.. "besides my back's starting to hurt again."

"What's wrong with your back?"

"I don't know." Donna smiled and shook her head. "I was working in the baby's room; last night, while you were out... Trying to blend in that crack, and I think I might of overdone it."

"Donna I told you to leave that crack alone; I would get the painted to come after the new year."

"I know you did; but I was bored and..."

"And you decided to un bored yourself by patching up a wall?" Shaun could only stay mad for the briefest of times with Donna before he had to give in. "Where does it hurt?"

"It's my lower back; started this morning but it's going away."

"Alright then; here's the deal." Shaun smiled then kissed Donna. "You go upstairs and get into bed; I'll lock up, and when I get upstairs I'll give you a massage. How'd you like that?"

"I'd like that a lot." Donna walked to the stairs, then paused. "But could you bring something with you." "Anything for you my love." Shaun paused. "You name it, and I'll get it."

"An apple? I've been having this craving for apples all day, you know the ones in the kitchen." Donna smiled with a blush; Shaun dare not say he had already given her one which she didn't like. Especially with how pale she looked.

"It's already done." Shaun paused. "And Muffin's?"

"Bring him upstairs as well." Donna paused, took a step and then turned back. "Oh and can you carve that little smiley face into it; I just love when you do that."

"One smiley faced apple for the apple craving pregnant lady, and one very muddy pawed puppy coming up." Shaun smiled, then waited for Donna to reach the top of the stairs before he began to lock up.

* * *

><p><strong>1996<strong>

**Home of Amelia Pond's Aunt Sharon**

Amelia stood with the Doctor in her room. She had already come to like him; the madman with a blue box who hated almost everything she had cooked for him. Even the apple he first asked about; he hated that.

He hate yoghurt, bacon and beans. Beans to him were evil, and not to mention very bad. And then there was bread and butter; that he tossed out the house. Plate and all. How she was about to explain that to her Aunt Sharon was something that put Amelia at a loss. Of course not as big of a loss as she was with how to explain the crack in her wall.

"I used to hate apples." Amelia stood in the doorway to her bedroom as the Doctor looked over her wall; in her hand was an apple she turned over to the Doctor after saying. "So my mum put faces on them."

"She sounds good, your mum." the Doctor said then tossed the apple in the air, immediately catching it before going onto examine the crack. "I'll keep it for later. This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it. So here's a thing - where's the draft coming from?"

The doctor steppped back and pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver to Examine the wall. "Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey. You know what the crack is?"

"What?"

"It's a crack." The Doctor answered then ran his finger along the crack. " I'll tell you something funny. If you knocked this wall down, the crack would stay put, 'cos the crack isn't in the wall."

"Where is it, then?"

"Everywhere. In everything. It's a split in the skin of the world. Two parts of space and time that should never have touched, pressed together...right here in the wall of your bedroom."

"A voice? Yes." The Doctor hear an echo, then took the water glass from Amy's night stand and poured the water out before he pressed it and his ear against the wall.

"Prisoner Zero?" The Doctor repeated the name of the prisoner the voice on the other side had said escaped.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped. That's what I heard. What does it mean?"

"It means that, on the other side of this wall, there's a prison and they've lost a prisoner." the Doctor had stepped back before he spoke then went onto ask "Do you know what that means?"

"What?"

"You need a better wall." the doctor paused and then moved her desk away from the wall. " The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way. The forces will invert and it'll snap itself shut. Or...

"What?"

"You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?"

"Yes."

"Everything's going to be fine."


	4. Chapter 4:

[i'm trying to get as much back up as I can. Going in for minor surgery. Hope you enjoy]

* * *

><p><strong>Minutes Later...<strong>

Outside the home of Amelia Pond's Aunt Sharon; Amelia spoke to the Doctor.

"I've got to get back in there!" The Doctor referred to his still injured Tardis. "The engines are phasing, it's going to burn!"

"But... it's just a box!" Amelia responded with sarcasm... "How can a box have engines?"

_"_It's not a box." the Doctor answered then freed the rope holding the Tardis. "It's a time machine."

"What, a real one? You've got a real time machine?"

"Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilized." the doctor paused then went on to say "Five-minute hop into the future should do it." before he looped the rope around the handles of the door.

**"**Can I come?"

"Not safe in here, not yet. Five minutes. Give me five minutes, I'll be right back" the Doctor said then, after hoisting himself up onto the police box, prepared himself to jump into the Tardis.

"People always say that." Amy responded causing the Doctor to jump down from the Tardis.

"Am I people?" the Doctor Looked into Amy's eyes. "Do I even look like people? Trust me, I'm the Doctor."

Amelia Smiled, and with belief he would be back in five minutes waited till the blue box disappeared then ran into her home to pack. Just a few things; clothes, and her teddy then back outside where she sat upon her suitcase and waited.

* * *

><p><strong>Hours Earlier, the same Day <strong>

"I'll be back in three days; the weekend I promise." Somewhere in the same year, on the same planet and at the very same time Amy's conversation with the Doctor took place, a similar yet different conversation was taking place at the home of one twenty-eight year old Donna Noble.

"How long will you be gone for?" Sylvia Noble, Donna's mother was as usual going on with some lecture her daughter was trying to avoid. And Wilfred Mott, Donna's maternal grandfather was as usual trying to keep peace between the two women.

"Oh gee mum, I don't know. Has the duration of three days or a weekend changed since the last one?"

"Donna don't be smart with me..." Sylvia followed Donna around the table. "I know what your weekends turn into. Last weekend I didn't' see you for three months. I had no idea where you were, or when you were coming back."

"Donna will you be back in time for our show on Monday?"

"Yes Gran-Dad I will be, seeing as I am only going for the weekend and that ends on Sunday." Donna has been gentle in her tone until turning to her mother on the word Sunday. "Three days, counting this one. Friday.. Saturday... Sunday.."

"And where will you be love?"

"I don't think you want to know that dad." Sylvia answered with a huff and crossed her arms. "Because to tell you the truth I don't even want to know that."

"I'll be in Cardiff Gran-Dad." Donna shot her mother a look, then smiled at her Grandfather. "It's just me and a few girls from the office, we're spending the weekend in Cardiff. It's Missy's birthday so she wants to celebrate it there."

"But you'll be back for Monday night; Right? Won't yah?" Wilf asked again. Donna was his only grandchild, and as such he thought the world plus of her.

"Of course I will. I wouldn't miss that for the world." Donna grabbed a pair of black heals from under the kitchen table. She may have been oblivious to most others feelings, but when it came to her grandfather there's wasn't anything Donna wouldn't do for him. "You make sure we have them biscuits I like though."

"Of course I will; never let my girl go without her favorite biscuits."

"Donna you know I don't approve of this." Sylvia crossed her arms, then did a once over of her daughter who wore a thigh length black skirt, with an overlapping black and semi see through top. "I mean look at what your wearing? You're asking for trouble..."

"Mum; put a sock in it alright..."

"You know Donna, you think you would have learned..." Sylvia stopped then worked over to her purse saying as she pulled something from it. "Well even if you haven't at least this time you can be protected. Lawyers, Doctor's they all want one thing from their front office." before handing Donna what she had retrieved. "Here, there condoms, use them."

"Mum!"

"Sylvia!" Wilf spoke his daughter's name at the same time Donna had said mum, both of them letting their jaw drop afterward. "What has gotten into you?"

"It's not what's gotten into me that I'm, or you should be worried about Dad." Sylvia motioned to Donna. "it's what's gonna be getting into her; you know those executives will say anything to get into your pants Donna. Or in your case, up your skirt."

"Oh my God I can't believe you just; you gave me condoms in front of Gran-Dad?" Donna's eyes were wide with embarrassment. The least she could have done, her mother, was wait till the man was out of the room. "I can't believe you..."

"What you want to wait till he's out of the room?"

"Um yes." Donna said in a loud tone. "And why do you assume I'm going to be needed those anyway. I'm going to Cardiff with three girls; women mum and in case you haven't noticed not gay here."

I don't have the money to be sending her back and forth to my sister's in Scotland."

"Oh Lord how so many times I wished you were." Sylvia shook her head. "And besides that it's not the girls your going with I'm worried about, it's the men you'll meet there. Oh and don't tell me that Mister what's his face from that office you work for isn't going. If you really are going; to Cardiff that is."

"I don't know why it amazes me how little you think of me." Donna grabbed a sweater from the chair.

"You know Donna, I'm not bailing you out again. I did it once, back seven years ago and I'm not doing it again." Donna's heart dropped. Sylvia had never come out and said to Donna that she knew what the real reason behind her trip to Scotland was. Never once. Just gave her the money to go, and then wired her the money to fly back. That was it. Donna went to visit her Aunt Sharon for a little over a year, and then she came back. End of story. "What? You don't think I know what happened?"

"Mum don't..." Donna shook her head, her words so soft Wilf couldn't hear her.

"Don't what? Donna I'm not daft, you break up with that Stephen what's his name take off to Scotland and all of a sudden Aunt Sharon was able to conceive and have a baby?" Sylvia paused while shaking her head. "No Donna; I will not put up with this behaviour of yours anymore."

"Sylvia stop this." Wilf stepped between Donna and his daughter, his back to his granddaughter who was so angry she was near tears. "I will not have you speak to my Donna like that. Do you hear me?"

"You know dad, you can live in total denial when it come's to Donna; hell you've been doing it for what twenty-eight years now." Sylvia paused. "But one of these days, you and her father are going to wake up and realize she's not that sweet ginger-haired girl you used to bounce on your knee."

"She may not be." Wilf walked towards his daughter with his finger pointed at her. "But I refuse to believe that she's this horrible monster you want me to believe she's grown into, and if that little girl in that picture happens to be my great-granddaughter instead of my granddaughter as you've been hinting at for the past seven years then I am sure as the nose on my face Donna had a reason for making it that way."

"And what's that?"

"You know mum; one of these day's your going to be wrong about me." Donna fought back tears; trying to keep her hard shelled appearance up even as her body trembled with anger and hurt. "And you're going to be sorry for all these horrible things you say to, and about me."

"And here we go with the dramatics..." Sylvia paused. "Donna.. You know what do what ever it is you want to, you always do, and I always bail you out when it comes to the consequences."

"Donna, Love..." Wilf turned to Donna, and helped her on with the sweater she was holding. "It's cold out tonight, why don't you put your sweater on. It'll make your old Grand-Dad feel better if you do."

"Okay gran-dad." Donna sniffled, while her eyes stay steadfast on her mother. "I promise I'll be back for Monday."

"I know dear." Wilf smiled then turned to the back door when he heard a honking of the horn. "I think your friend. Don't forget your bag in the living room."

"Gran-dad I'm so..." Donna answered then hugged her Grandfather. It was the only think she knew to so at that moment. "I love you."

"I know dear, and I love you too." Wilf held Donna tight; patting her back. "You go have a good time, come back and everything's going to be fine."


	5. Chapter 5

And so it shoud have been; all right. Everything should have been alright. After all it was It was a simple jump into the future for the Doctor. Five minutes, just get the Tardis working right, and he'd be back. It was an even eaier time for Donna; a few hours down the road and three days later she'd be back. Simple enough; Right?

Wrong...

* * *

><p><strong>7 Hours before his departure from Amelia Pond for his five minute trip, yet hours after Donna had left her home to party with friends in Cardiff<strong>

"Your mum must of read you the riot act." the blonde near Donna spoke up. "You haven't even touched your drink."

"Not really in the mood for it." Donna looked at the glass knowing that wasn't the truth. She was more then in the mood for it; after what her mother had done to her. Sure she knew Sylvia was aware of her situation when it came to Amelia, but to bring it out in front of her Grandfather like that.

"Wow.." the Blonde added with a shrug of her shoulders.

"What? I've already had two of them." Donna paused. "I don't need another one."

"Whoa wait a minute." the brunette across the table; the Missy Donna had been speaking of earlier spoke up with surprise. "Is this Donna, I don't stop drinking till I start puking, Noble I'm hearing. You don't need another drink? No it can't be..."

"What?"

"Donna come on, we all know your motto's the more I drink the less I think." Missy added in a matter of fact tone. "You really think it could be other wise with the men you take home; or don't take home."

"So not only am I a lush now, I'm also a slut."

"What is up with you tonight?" the blonde near Donna took a sip of her drink."You've been wound up since we picked you up..."

"Yeah what's with the buzz kill Donna?" Missy asked with a pout as she too drank from her glass. "It's my birthday, lighten up. Man I think I like you better when your wasted."

"Then maybe you'll like me better gone." Donna stood up and grabbed her purse. "Because right now I'm not in the mood to get drunk, or bring some strange guy home."

"Could have fooled me; I mean that guy you were dancing with earlier." Missy paused. "Can I say one thing... Cock tease."

"You know what Missy, I'll meet you back at the hotel."

"Donna no. I was kidding." Missy stood up, and watched as for the first time, after looking at it, Donna dropped her part of the check onto the table.

"Yeah well I'm not." Donna paused. "And I'm not a cock tease; if that bloke was getting a stiffy simply because I was dancing with him then that's his fault."

"Dancing... Donna you were all but fucking him out there." Missy paused. "All you had to do was hike that skirt of yours up another inch. And besides why leave now, the hotel is two blocks from here. You don't want to walk all that way..."

"Why not? Give me a chance to clear my head, you know think about the real way in which my friends see me." Donna wanted to say more, but all she could do was grab her sweater before walking out of he bar and straight into a big blue box.

"Oi what that hell?" Donna sitting on her bottom rubber her forehead, and stared at the blue box, jumping only a tad when the Doctor popped around it. "What?"

"Oi there, what did you do to my Tardis?" the Doctor, who had yet to introduce himself as the Doctor asked as Donna stood up, His lacking concern for her well being ever so obvious when he walked over to the the side of the blue box and asked. "Did you just kick my Tardis?"

"Did I just kick your Tardis?" Donna repeated what the Doctor asked in her usual annoyed tone, paused then asked... "Did I just kick your.. Your what?"

"My Tardis; see right there. Big blue thing. Says Police Box." the Doctor answered then caressed the Tardis. "Did that mean old lady kick you?"

"Kick it; you daft ass I walked into it." Donna moved closer to the strange man, surprised she wasn't afraid of him when she pointed to the bump on her head. "See, egg. Big red egg on Donna's swelling forehead. And are you caressing that thing?"

"That's all right you, I'll make sure the mean old lady..."

"Oi! Watch your mouth there. Old lady." Donna pushed the Doctor causing him to spin around. "I may be mean, but I'm sure as hell not old... Besides what the hell are you doing parking that thing here? No wait that isn't; you can't park that. And who are you calling old lady dumbo ears."

"Dumbo ears? I rather like my nears ears... Who are you to call me dumbo ears." the Doctor touched both his ears with a hurt expression before going on with "Oh well then, Who are you? And I mean it this time, minus the to call me dumbo ears because well that would also be answered if you were to answer the simple one of.."

"Did you slap me?"

"Yes I did." Donna paused then slapped him one more time. If he hadn't heard her say her name earlier, she wasn't about to repeat it. "And I'll do it again if you don't shut up."

"Fine I'm shutting up." the Doctor mad a key that locked his lips, tossed it away and then pushed his luck with. "My aren't you a but cranky. What crawled up your? Owe you slapped me again."

"I did not."

"No but you thought about slapping me." the Doctor paused as Donna thought about it then nodded before saying.

"Oh al'right yah got me there; cause I knew what you were gonna say after that and if you did I would have slapped you." relaxing for only a moment before it hit her, and she hit him on the arm this time. "Oi..."

"Oi what?" the doctor paused. "What did I do now?"

"You, you got my guard down." Donna walked passed the Doctor to see the front of the blue box. "I know men like you, prowling bars with your police box thingies looking for a drunk females to take home."

"Prowling around bars with my police box thingy.." The Doctor looked at the Tardis and shrugged. "Yeah right lady, I carry that thing around on my back so I can get drunk women like you into it. Much easier then calling someone for a date. And again, who are you? Oh and stop hitting me."

"Who am I? I already said who I am; you weren't listening" Donna asked then stood her ground. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" Donna paused then cocked her head to the side. "No wait let me guess, your the Love Doctor and that's your operating room."

"Oh you are one full of yourself aren't you." the Doctor huffed then heard the Tardis as he had five minutes earlier with Amelia. "Oh no, not again." I gotta go."

"What you don't want to feel me up first?" Donna asked almost insulted as she followed the Doctor to the front of the blue box. "What I'm not good enough for yah? Boobs to small; to big? Hair not blonde enough?"

"Oh for the love of Pete; psycho lady, fine." the Doctor turned and patted Donna down, not once touching her in any place he felt inappropriate which only annoyed her more. "Okay, you happy now. Man with police box just patted you down; or felt you up which ever you want. I really gotta go."

"Are you coming back?"

"Do you want me to?" the Doctor looked at Donna as if she had ten heads and opened the Tardis door, said... "Never mind don't answer that, bye." and left.

"That's it, no more Chinese Food for me." Donna felt a chill run through her when the Tardis disappeared. Not because the air had chilled any; it was still the same temp it was when she arrive, but now she was alone. It was then that she thought for a moment about calling for a cab, but being broke and only two blocks from the hotel she decided to walk.

It was a mistake Donna regretted the minute she felt a rough hand cover her mouth, then her body being dragged into the ally behind her.

* * *

><p><strong>7 hours after departure from Amelia Pond, and five miutes from leaving Donna Noble<strong>

"Amelia..." A woman in dressed up for an evening out came running from the back door of her home to where Amelia lay sleeping on her suitcase. "Amelia wake up..."

"Huh?"

"What are you doing out here?"

"Aunt Sharon." Amelia rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Did he come back?"

"Did who come back?" Amelia's aunt Sharon helped her stand up. "Why are you out here? It's freezing. Come inside."

"I can't, he's coming back. He said he would." Amelia looked to where the Tardis had been. "He promised, see he broke your shed. But he said he would be back and I could go with him."

"Amelia Jessica Pond, I don't know what you're going on about but I will not have this." Amelia's Aunt Sharon picked up the suitcase. "No get inside before you catch the death of you."

"But Aunt Sharon, he's the Doctor and he has this funny screwdriver thing." Amelia protested as her Aunt Sharon dragged her back to the house. "He said he'd be back. I have to wait for him. Aunt Sharon please..."

Soon after entering the house, Amelia stopped speaking of the man she was waiting for. At least for that night anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>10 Minutes after leaving Donna Noble and far over five minutes in returning to Amelia Pond<strong>

"Dumbo ears..." Crossing back and forth across the Tardis, the Doctor was furious. "I do not have Dumbo ears, yes two me's ago may have had them but I have nice ears."

The Doctor stopped and stared at himself in the mirror. He was rather good looking; hair needed to be fixed a bit. Cut maybe, but as far as faces and ears went, his was not that bad.

"And Love Doctor... Who did she think she... and I swear she kicked you." the Doctor continued to speak to himself and the Tarids. "Five minutes; I told Amelia five minutes but..."

"Alright five minutes..." the Doctor made a face, then added as he moved one of those gizmos on the console. "Five minutes... ten minutes... fifteen but no more then a half of an hour. I can not be more then a half hour late."

the Doctor was sure of that. No more then a half of an hour, or maybe a whole. Either way, it would be less then a day. That was firs certain, from the minute he stepped out of the Tardis saying

"Hey crazy Lady you never did tell me your name..." till the reality of Donna's situation came into play and everything around him; except for she and the man attacking her disappeared.


	6. Chapter 6:

**12 Years later**

"Dr. Jones this is the man who found the victim." two women, one wearing a lab cot with the name tag Martha Jones Student approached the Doctor. She was surprised to see blood, in the amount that it was, on his shirt. "We're trying to get him a change of clothing."

"I already told you, I don't need a change of clothing; I have many changes in my..." the Doctor paused. "Look I don't know why your keeping me here, I did nothing wrong."

"You killed a man." Martha's eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me? I killed a man?" the Doctor's eyes widened with anger. "That thing who I did your human race a favor by taking him out of, he wasn't a man he was a monster."

"And okay, I wonder if were calling psych in on the right one..." Martha didn't answer the woman with her, she just made sure it was known that her comment was not appreciated then waited till she left.

"Look sir..."

"Smith; John Smith." the Doctor looked down at his shirt disgusted with himself. "Oh; she's right. Will someone please get me a clean shirt. Clean shirt... Amelia can't see me like this."

"Amelia?"

"Amelia Pond; short Scottish girl with red hair. I promised I would be back in five minutes." the Doctor paused. "Has it been five minutes? Of course it has; first I left, then I spoke to the woman, then I left again; came back saved woman from attacker. Must be what an hour and forty-five minutes?"

"I have no idea what your talking about..."

"No you wouldn't; you're human." The Doctor moved closer to Martha and stared into her eyes. "You're all human; pesky little rats that... And never mind back to my shirt, do you have a clean one?"

"Were working on it." Martha answered then thought about calling in a second psych consult for this one. "Mr. Smith..."

"John please..."

"John." Martha corrected herself. "I was wondering if you could tell me what happened; what you saw when you found Ms. Noble."

"Why, you into that sadomasochistic stuff?" the Doctor moved closer to Martha. "You get off on other peoples pain? Because if you do, you my dear are in the wrong profession. And... And... What do you think I saw when I found her?"

"I don't know; I need you to tell me."

"I was in my Tar... My car pacing." the Doctor began to explain himself, stopping when what he

said made no sense; which was quite often until he clarified he was not in a Tar, but a Car and sitting. After all one would have to have a very large car to be pacing in it. "She'd gotten on my nerves, all going on about my dumbo ears. Do you think I have dumbo ears?"

"No I don't think you have ears." Martha answered with a raise of her brow. "But um; can we move on."

"Yeah right; moving on. So I was on my way back to Amelia and she runs square into my Tar.. car..." the Doctor paused. "Bam; didn't even stop. So I get out and ask her if she was alright, conversation lasted about five minutes before the engines began to fade... Stutter.. Um.. Never mind."

"Did you recognize this man? Her attacker?"

"No I didn't." the Doctor took a breath. "Look I left, I came back and she was on the ground."

"So he was in the process of attacking her when you arrived?"

"Yes; no he wasn't in the process of attacking her so much as being in the process of finishing attacking her." the Doctor felt his skin crawl; the image of Donna and that thing. How helpless she was when he carried her into the Tardis; begging for him not to hurt her. He'd almost thought about taking care of her himself, but then there was Amelia. Amelia the seven year old Scottish girl he'd promised to come back for.

"I'm just confused..." Martha took a breath. "You say you saw her and she was fine; walked into your car but when you came back she was being attacked in an ally way. But she was fine the first time?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? She wasn't maybe trying to hide something?" Martha thought about that, then the case. Donna Noble went missing in the year nineteen ninety-six, and now twelve years later she was being returned by this very odd man with a very odd story.

"Yes, no: I don't know, maybe she was hiding something." the Doctor became annoyed. "Why are you asking me this?"

"I'm asking you this because the woman you saved; the woman you brought in here." Martha took a breath; even she knew what she was about to say sounded as insane as this John Smith was acting. "Donna went missing twelve years ago."

* * *

><p><strong>14 years later...<strong>

"Were not supposed to be here..." fourteen years after meeting Amelia Pond, and two years after dropping Donna Noble off at the near by emergency room; the Doctor, late in getting things had that hand to head moment where everything became clear.

"Excuse me?" Amy who'd been staring at her painting turned to the Doctor, who as usual was now much to serious for her to like. "Hey what happened? We were just smiling and going on about how we'd helped Vincent Van Gough."

"Yes I know, but it wasn't..." the Doctor smacked his hand to his forehead again, this time getting looks from all around them and not just Amy. "Damn it, Amy why does this always happen?"

"What? You going all manic depressive on me?" Amy asked then jumped when her mobile phone rang. "It's my Aunt Sharon; what should I do?"

"Answer that it might be important..."

"It's my Aunt Sharon; I don't think it can be that important..."

"Amy just answer it..."

"Fine..." Amy raised a brow, then answered the phone as they exited the museum. "Aunt Sharon, yeah it's me... who else would it be. No I'm not being sarcastic, but really who else would be answering my phone other then me?"

the Doctor paused giving Amy space to speak to her aunt, which mostly consisted of her apologizing, and they words yes and I remember. Eventually the phone call came to an end, as well as Amy's good mood.

"So that was your Aunt Sharon?' the Doctor asked with a light tone, trying to get her to smile. It didn't work, so he asked. "What did she want?"

"I um; she wants me to come home." Amy stood there. "My cousin died."

"Oh Amy, I'm sorry." the Doctor walked closer to Amy. "What happened? Was she sick?"

"No; not psychically." Amy placed her phone back in her pocket. "She um.. She killed herself. My ant wants me to go to the funeral; she's almost insistent on it. I've never met this woman before."

"Are you going to go?'

"I don't know; I guess." Amy paused. "Maybe; I don't know, I just.. Maybe if I stop by the house. They usually have those things. Right? When the family gets together afterward."

"I guess. I don't really know; timelord here, we don't die." the Doctor shrugged. "But if you want to go, I'll go with you; if you want me to that is."

"Hell yeah. I'm not going on my own. I don't even know these people." Amy slapped the Doctor on the arm. "Just be on your best behaviour."

* * *

><p><strong>Amelia Pond's Aunt's House<strong>

"This is the address my Aunt Sharon gave me." Amy pointed to the house. "She should be inside."

"Did your aunt tell you why your cousin did this?" the Doctor asked as they walked up to the house. "Was she mentally ill for long?"

"No, that's the thing." Amy knocked on the door. "Although she did say we had a lot in common when it came to imaginations."

"Amelia?" Sylvia Noble answered the door. "Hi, I'm your Aunt; please come inside."

"Hi." Amy looked around the room of strangers dressed in black then introduced the Doctor to Sylvia. "Aunt Sylvia this is my friend the do... Um John Smith."

"Hello Mr. Smith." Sylvia shook the Doctor's hand. "I'm sorry we have to meet like this; Amelia Aunt Sharon is in the living room. She want's to see you."

"Okay." Amy grabbed on to the Doctor's and and tugged him through to the living room, where a picture of Donna was displayed on an easel. "Aunt Sharon..."

"I thought I asked you to come to the wake and the funeral Amelia..." Aunt Sharon pulled her aside, as the Doctor's eyes settled on Donna's picture. Totally oblivious to the conversation between Amy and her aunt the Doctor walked over to the picture.

"Did you know Donna?" the voice of an older man startled the Doctor. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you; but I was wondering if you knew my Donna?"

"Um no I didn't." the Doctor lied. He had known her; once in a time he didn't remember and then in a time he wished he could forget. "I'm with her cousin Amelia. What happened?"

"Oh a lot happened." Wilf stared at the picture, and then went onto say... "She was such a special girl too; good heart." before pointing to a two year old little boy sitting on the couch near a female friend of Sylvia's. "That's her son over there. Andrew; Andy we call him, lovely little boy, looks just like her. He misses his mother so."

"I'm sure he does." the Doctor paused. "And you are?"

"I'm Donna's grandfather; Wilfred Mott, I'm Sylvia and Sharon's dad." Wilf introduced himself. "Are you my granddaughter's boyfriend?"

"**No, were just friends that's all.. **Your granddaughter and I; nothing more" the Doctor stared at the picture of Donna, she was wearing something simple unlike the outfit she had on the night they first met. It suit her. "It's a shame; she was such a pretty young woman."

"Yes, yes she was." Wilf answered the doctor with a little pride. "That was my girl; her mother didn't see much in her, but I knew different. I knew right; Donna was meant to go places, to be someone but then this happened. In a blink of an eye, one minute she was leaving to go to a party and then she was gone."

"And how long was she gone?"

"Twelve years. We all saw it coming, but none of us wanted to face the truth of it." Wilf paused, then picked up Andrew when he came running over to him. "Donna couldn't accept what had happened to her. The attack, and the missing time. We still don't know what he did to her while he had her, but the way she was found in that ally."

"Ally?"

"Donna was; she was, well this man did this horrible thing to her..." Wilf paused. "There was this nice man, I never met him but he helped her. He helped Donna. He made sure the man who hurt he paid for what he'd done."

"Sounds like an all around hero."

"He is in my book." Wilf switched his great grandson from one side to the other. "But still Donna, even with.. She never was the same after that; then she found out about Andrew here, not that she didn't love him but it wasn't like if she'd planned to have him and all."

"It's hard when conception takes place during such a violent act..."

"We don't like to talk about it, because we love Andy." Wilf nodded. The Doctor was glad Amy wasn't there to hear this, although he was sure eventually she would find out. "He's all we have left of Donna, even if it came from... If only we could have found the man who saved her. You know she would still be here if we had? Oh I'm telling you; for two years we tried to help her but nothing worked, she kept going on about the man who saved her."

"What do you mean?"

"She kept telling us that we had to find him, that he would clear things up." He paused. "Said he had this magic blue box, that it could disappear and all that. If we could have just found him then he could tell everyone she wasn't crazy."

"And you never found him?" Wilf paused then kissed Andrew on the forehead before the Doctor called out to Amy... "Amy I have to go now." before joining her. "Amy I have to go now okay..."

"Amy whose your friend?" Sharon asked with a face. "And why is he dancing around like a five year old in need of going to the bathroom?"

"Amy now, please. I need to go."

"Doctor we just got here..." Amy made a slip to which Wilf picked up on, even though he was across the room and no one knew he heard them. "I can't just leave."

"Well I have to; I can't be here Amy." the Doctor could see the stares around the room, all on him; but he didn't give Amy a chance to say anything before he hurried out of the house.

"Usually he's not like that." Amy tried to make excuses for the Doctor unaware of the fact that Wilf was on his way out, and oly after handing Andrew over to her; after th Doctor.

* * *

><p>"No, no... No.. No.. No!" the Doctor paced around the outside of the Tardis. This wasn't happening; he saved her. He brought her to the hospital, he left her there but he made sure she was taken care of. It was Amy he was twelve years late for.<p>

"No this isn't happening. I didn't do this." the Doctor hit a nearby tree, then screamed. "Why? Why do I always do this? Why can't I just for once get it right? Why can't I just for once not hurt someone?"

"Doctor?"

"No not now; I can't deal with this right now." The Doctor didn't turn, he already knew the voice. "Please just go back to the house; please I can't do this."

"So you are real?"

"Please, please please go back to the house Mr. Mott." the doctor refused to look at Wilf, just at the Tardis. "I didn't mean for her; I tried to save her. I thought I saved her."

"So this box it is real; Donna wasn't crazy..."

"No.. No she wasn't." the doctor paused then turned to Wilf. "Your Donna, your granddaughter, she wasn't crazy. She was right; the box is real and I'm real."

"But where were you then?" Wilf paused. "Where were you when Donna needed you? The nights she would lie awake crying, staring out the window hoping you would come. She tried to make us believe her, but.. Where were you?

"I was with Amy; Amelia." the Doctor leaned against the Tardis. "I left her, Donna, at the hospital that night. I thought it was just down the street; five minutes not twelve years. Why didn't I know that? Why?"

"She slit her wrists you know." Wilf wanted to make sure he; the doctor knew what kind of pain he has caused Donna so that he may suffer as she did. "One night, she'd gotten into it with her mother. Told her she wasn't going to take them pills they gave her down at the hospital. Said she didn't need them; she wasn't crazy."

"I am so sorry..."

"It was while we were sleeping, we didn't hear a thing." Wilf paused. "We got up the next morning, and I hear a scream from upstairs. I run up, and there she is my Donna lying in the tub."

"Oh I don't want to hear this." the Doctor plugged his ears with his fingers and began to run around like a three year old; humming over Wilf's words.

"Most victims who go that way, they're wearing nothing when you find them." Wilf paused then spoke louder. "Doctor's down at the psychiatric hospital said Donna didn't want anyone seeing her; said since the baby she was having these issues with how she looked. Made her sound vain right till the end they did, and it was all because of you."

"La la la... I'm not listening..."

"Doctor what the hell happened to you in there?" Amy joined the two men. She still had Andy in her arms but by now the boy was asleep. "And why are you running around like a three year old?

"I'm not listening.."

"I can see that..." Amy paused then as if seeing her grandfather for the first time asked. "Gran-dad what are you doing out here?"

"Why don't you ask your three year old friend?" Wilf waited for Amy to speak, then the Doctor to stop his fit, but when neither happened he gently took Andy from Amy and walked back to the house.

"Okay Doctor do you want to tell me what's going on here, or am I going to have to guess..." Amy paused. "And would you please stop doing that; you're making me dizzy."

"This was not my fault. I didn't know." the Doctor's anger flared to the point where Amy became just a little frightened of him. "I didn't know Amy, if I knew I never.. I would have gone back, I would have made sure she was okay. I never would have left her!"

"What isn't your fault? Gone back for who?" Amy paused. "Doctor you're not making any sense; slow down and start from the beginning."

"I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Amy followed the Doctor into the Tardis. "Doctor please; tell me what's going on."

"You shouldn't be around me; you need to leave now.. Go back to your family." the Doctor started move buttons and levers. "Go Amy before you end up like your cousin."

"Pardon?"

"Your cousin Amy; Donna, Donna Noble, the pretty ginger haired lady in the picture." the Doctor paused. "I know her, I knew her; for a brief moment in time. I met her when you were seven. When I jumped ahead in time, I met her for a moment then the Tardis she was; and I had to leave but I came back. I don't know why but I did and when I did this man was..."

"So your the one who saved her?" Amy paused. "My Aunt Sharon told me a little about what had happened. Donna had gone out, got drunk and this man assaulted her in an ally. She left out the missing for twelve years part, but... So you were the man who found her?"

"Yes Amy, but when I found her it was twelve years before the time I dropped her off at the hospital." the Doctor paused. "Same with you, five minutes turned into twelve years. Your cousin wasn't insane she was; I don't know Amy, every-time I try to help someone..."

"You end up hurting them, and this time someone; no not just someone, this time my cousin paid with her life."

"It's not just that I messed up; it's you and her and here..." the Doctor looked at the Tardis console. "Twelve years; we met on the same night in a distorted time-line and something's deeper here. Deeper and darker and I'm afraid once I start looking for the truth. The answeres it's; all hell's going to break lose."

"And?"

"And you're going to be right in the middle of it."


	7. Chapter 7

**Continued from chapter 6**

"I want to see her." Amy insisted, the minute she dragged the doctor into the Tardis. "My Aunt Sharon, I want to see her. NOW! so tell this box of yours here to take me there. Take me home, to my house."

"Amy that might not be a good idea right now." the Doctor tried to talk sense into Amy, sense the Tardis didn't seem to be agreeing with seeing it, the minute Amy requested to go home, set a course for there. "I mean don't you want to wait till your not so upset?"

"Actually no I don't." Amy paused for a brief moment then thought, and followed that up with. "I, what I want, and that's what it's about right now is what I want... And I want to NOT wait till I'm NOT upset, because I WANT to do it now."

"Oh you never listen to me." the Doctor frustrated with the Tardis, grabbed onto part of the wall when the box jolted both him and Amy. "Why do you never listen to me?"

"Because you not worth listening to half the time." Amy knew who the Doctor had been speaking to and clarified the by saying. "Even this box here knows that." before grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the Tardis. "Come on spaceman."

"Spaceman. Amy where did you get that? Spaceman..." the Doctor was worried, just a tad bit. He knew there was something not right here, and like the thing he couldn't see out the corner of his eye; well that moved into the back of his head. "Not that I hate it, but it's not.. Well I don't think it's.. Yeah maybe it is you."

"Come on." Amy who had just dragged the Doctors out of the Tardis, pulled him even further into the kitchen of her home. "Aunt Sharon! Get out here now!"

"Amy please I am begging you to not do this. Not now."

"You shut up!" Amy turned to the Doctor and pointed at him. "I'm just about as angry with you as I am with her. AUNT SHARON!"

"Angry with me?" the Doctor paused. "Why me? I didn't do anything."

"Why didn't you tell me you knew Donna?" Amy placed both hands on her hips. "Huh? Why did you hide that from me? You knew her. You met her, and you saved her life but you never thought to tell me that?'

"Hide that from you?"

"Donna! I just said that. Donna why didn't you tell me you knew Donna?" Amy placed both hands on her hips. "Weren't you listening?"

"Yes I was listening, and Amy, I how was I to know that woman I met in the matter of seconds was your cousin?"

"How about she looks just like me? or I look just like her." Amy corrected herself knowing her cousin Donna, daughter of the Aunt Sylvia she never met in person till today, had been older then she was. "What are you hiding spaceman?"

"I'm not hiding anything."

"Yeah that's what you said when we went to museum; just taking you to a couple nice places."

"Amy you're starting to sound a little paranoid." the Doctor leaned against the wall near the opening to the other room, only for a second before Amy's Aunt Sharon came through making him move.

"Amy what's all the yelling about?"

"You knew."

"I knew what?" Amy's Aunt Sharon pulled a bottle of water from her fridge, then turned to Amy. "And what's he doing here? Didn't he make a spectacle of himself enough at your Aunt Sylvia's house? I mean really the way he behaved."

"Why didn't you tell me Donna was seeing the same blue box I was?"

"Pardon?" Amy's Aunt Sharon opened the bottle of water and sipped from it. "Who told you that?"

"Grandpa Wilf, the grandfather I never till now." Amy crossed her arms in front of her. "The same Grandfather that would send me stuff for Christmas and my birthday, yet never managed to come visit me."

"Amy that old man is about as insane as your cousin was." Amy's Aunt Sharon put the cap back on her water. "He and I never got along; Sylvia was always his favorite daughter and Donna was always his favorite granddaughter so why would I even want to subject you to that."

"Maybe because I think what you just said is bull." Amy paused just for a moment. "I mean if he thought so little of me, then why did he send me hem gifts? And then cards? And money?"

"I don't know."

"Amy come on we should go." the Doctor touched Amy's arm, trying to be calm about it. "Come back later when you're calm?"

"Why would I want to do that, when I got my proof here that Donna wasn't insane; I wasn't insane."

"Amelia Jessica Pond what are you going on about?"

"My raggedy Doctor, Donna's mysterious Doctor." Amy began to count on her fingers as she names things off. "Or my blue box, Donna's blue box."

"Donna was insane Amy." Amy's Aunt Sharon paused. "You and she had nothing in common when it came to that story you made up. You were seven years old with an over active imagination, she was twenty-eight with a clinical diagnoses of psychosis. The girl was bonkers Amy."

"And I wasn't? Aunt Sharon I went through four psychiatrists."

"You had a fascination with biting people."

"Oh now that's a first." The Doctor spoke paused then followed that up with. "A fascination with biting people, I think I might use that someday. Anyway go on..."

"Amy I was trying to protect you; you were seven years old."

"This year?" Amy asked. "This year I was seven? Or the year before I was seven? Or the year before that? Because if my memory serves me right, and it usually does, the night Aunt Sylvia called to tell you Donna had been found and that she had been sexually assaulted... I WASN'T SEVEN"

"Amy you might want to calm down before you continue with this conversation." the doctor again tried to reason with Amy, something he knew was almost impossible when she was all fired up, but all he got back from her was.

"You spaceman; Oi... I said shut up!"

"Amelia Jessica Pond" Amy's Aunt Sharon paused. "I didn't raise you to be rude; now, and even though I didn't invite him into my home, nor like him for that matter... Apologize to that man"

"Oh hell no, and it's Amy." Amy's eyes flared with anger. "Amy. I have been telling you to call me Amy for years now. I hate Amelia, it's.. I hate it."

"Fine Amy..."

"You know I have no idea why I didn't see this till now; right now, standing here." Amy walked over to her fridge and looked over the photographs. "It's not as if it weren't staring me in the face; I've looked through your photograph albums; you've shown me Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Geoffrey and Grandpa and Grandma Mott; even Donna and I never put it together till now."

"Put what together?"

"Why you never took me to see them?" Amy stared at her pictures, just her. Different school years, and a few soccer games. The only other member of the family with the Ginger hair. The only other member of the family with ginger hair, who had no mum and only an Aunt.

"I never took you because I was too busy working." Amy's Aunt Sharon looked from Amy to the Doctor who as soon as they made eye contact, decided he liked the view below him. "Amy please I don't wish to speak of this right now."

"Aunt Sharon, Donna wasn't psychotic, she was telling the truth it's just like with me no one wanted to listen to her." Amy paused. "All they heard was magical box and doctor..."

"Amy don't be daft; there is no Doctor, and there is no blue box." Amy's Aunt Sharon sat down on the dining room table. "Your cousin, Donna, she invented that story because she couldn't deal with what had happened to her. What that man did to her. Amy it was a fairy tale created in the mind of a very disturbed woman. So there was some similar factors involved..."

"Similar? Some similar factors involved?" Amy clenched her teeth. "I supposed the other non similarities would be that this box, the magical box, before it appeared it made this loud whooshing noise? Oh and it had this lite on the top? And when it disappeared it made the same loud whooshing noise it had before it appeared.

"Amy your cousin was sexually assaulted, she was held against her will for twelve years."

"No..."

"We tried to keep it from you." Amy's Aunt Sharon paused. "I never wanted you to find out about the attack, but you were listening on the other end of the phone as you always do. I had no choice but to tell you that."

"And leave out the most important fact, that she had been missing for twelve years?" Amy paused and shook her head. "You know sad thing here is if you just trusted me, if you just believe me then Donna would still be alive"

"Amy.." the Doctor shook his head. "No..."

"You... You and Aunt Sylvia and who ever told Donna she was wrong; they were wrong. They were the ones wrong, not Donna." Amy brushed off the doctor and grabbed her aunts arm. "She tried to tell them the truth, but all they did was pump her with medications she didn't need. That is what they do to people with a psychotic disorder right?"

"Yes I assume; yes Donna was probably heavily medicated towards the end."

"That poor woman, spending her last days in a medicated haze knowing what she was saying; what she saw, and who she saw was real but no one would believe her." Amy bit down on her bottom lip. She wanted to scream, and cry and hit something at the same time. "She had no one, everyone she loved; everyone she's trusted to protect her they'd turned on her."

"Amy." the Doctor with the bigger picture; family albums and all, clear in his head touched Amy's arm and suggested they leave. "Come on we should go. Really, deal with this another time when you've a clear head."

"Clear head? Why should I have a clear head to deal with this? Donna didn't. Donna didn't even have an option."

"Amy now is not the best time for this... Amy please let me talk to you; let me.. before you..."

"I bet they gave her that electro-shock therapy they talked about; you know that time you thought I was out of the room." Amy looked out the corner of her eye as she bit not her bottom lip but the inner part of her cheek to prevent her from crying. "So simple. All of this would have been, could have been so simple."

"Amy I don't know what to say. I'm sorry Donna's dead but there was nothing you or I could do to prevent it." Amy's Aunt Sharon paused. "It was just after she found out she was pregnant, and the rape she lost touch with reality. Amy Donna killed herself; she took her own life, there's nothing anyone could have done to stop it."

"No? Not anyone?"

"Amy..." the Doctor lowered his tone. "Please do not do this."

"Amy we tried; well your Aunt tried, and the Doctors."

"Maybe she didn't have the right Doctor then?" Amy paced back and forth, between her Aunt Sharon and the Doctor. "I mean maybe if you'd got her the Doctor she asked for, the one with the blue box."

"Amy stop it!" Amy's Aunt Sharon stood up and stopped Amy from pacing. "I will not let you end up like her; do you hear me?"

"No you hear me!" Amy grabbed onto her Aunt Sharon's arm and stared directly into her eyes. "You didn't believe me, and no one believed Donna but the thing is here we were right and I'm going to prove it to you."

"Amy where are you taking me?" Amy's Aunt Sharon tried to protest, but Amy had the upper hand and with the Doctor in tote all three exited the house to the back yard. "Amy stop this. You're hurting me."

"Good I'm glad." Amy answered as she continued to drag her Aunt Sharon to destination smashed shed to the left, Tardis to the right. "See; big blue police box."

"How?"

"Not how? What? What is it?" Amy turned to her aunt Sharon who looked as if the world had just imploded in front of her and all it left was a blue box. "Oh I am so glad you asked, because I'm going to tell you. That is big blue box, a magical box, a police box and it's in your back yard."

"But..."

"Did I say I was finished?" Amy's Aunt Sharon went to speak but stopped. "Good because you see this box can do lots of things, like travel through time hense the whooshing and the whole disappearing and reappearing thing. It can also hold criminals till the police come, but then you'd have to explain the whole bigger on the inside thing."

"Amy!"

"Oi; SHUT UP!" Amy stopped the doctor from speaking further by holding her hand up. "I don't want to hear another word from you spaceman... Now on the other hand Aunt Sharon, I do want to hear something from you, and I'm sure Aunt Sylvia would want to as well seeing as her daughter is dead because of me and you and this box you said never existed."

"I was trying to protect you. What Donna had, or what they said she had was hereditary and..." Aunt Sharon spoke with a sincerity that made Amy want to reach out and slap her, but all she did was reach out and hit the Tardis door.

"Show her!" Amy waited for the doctor to open the Tardis, but when he didn't she hit it again and repeated "I said Show HER!"

"This isn't going to be good." the Doctor pulled the Tardis key out and opened the door. Sure he could have done the whole snap your fingers thing, but at that moment he wasn't worried about looking cool.

"Go.. Go.." Amy stood aside from her Aunt Sharon, moving to the back of her saying "I said go... Inside; don't worry about your claustrophobia believe me it's much bigger on the inside." before pushing the other woman into the Tardis. "So? Now you believe me?"

"Oh my god what is this?"

"It's a Tardis." the Doctor answered, but remained in the background near the door as Amy's Aunt looked around. He knew she wanted to leave, to run out as all who entered did, but he also knew that Amy wouldn't have that. "It's nothing to be afraid of, she won't hurt you. It's just where I live now; my home, a space ship slash time travel box slash home. We get cable."

"Amy why didn't you tell me."

"I did, remember." Amy walked closer to her Aunt Sharon. "I was seven, you found me outside sleeping on my suitcase, said I was lying had a bad dream, ate something bad before bed and then sent me to the first of four shrinks."

"Amy if I.. I didn't..."

"No you didn't, because you were too busy talking at me to listen to me." Amy climbed the stairs to the console. "Spaceship; Tardis.. Time and relative dimension in space so, and if she, my so called cousin were here for you to give it to her; you owe Donna an apology, but guess that's never going to happen seeing as she's dead."

"Time and digitization..."

"No, time and relative dimension in space." the doctor corrected Amy's Aunt Sharon as he scratched the back of his head. "It's what made it possible for me to meet your niece; Donna, your niece Donna, in nineteen ninety-six and then return her twelve years later. All though I do have this funny feeling that wasn't the first time I met her."

"If only I knew that this was real, all of this. The box, and the Doctor. I should have listened to you." Amy's Aunt Sharon took a deep breath then let it out. They were both right. Donna and Amy were right, there was a magical box and a raggedy doctor; although from the looks of him Amy's Aunt Sharon didn't see where the raggedy part came in. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah well tell that to my Grandfather, and Aunt Sylvia and Donna's son; Andy.. Remember Andy the little boy who has to grow up without a mother... " Amy paused. "And speaking of Mother's, and also changing the subject to correct titles in ones family; Why don't I have one? A Mother? Everyone has a mother. I wasn't born in a cabbage patch now was I? Or did the stork bring me?"

"Oh yes this is not going to get good." the Doctor ran up to Amy and her Aunt. 'Why don't we take this little conversation back into the house, and then once there change it to something about a very nice cup-a-tea. Anyone else here fancy a cup-a-tea? I know I sure do... Amy? Aunt Sha..."

"Shut up!" this time the words came from both Amy and her Aunt Sharon; it was Amy however that kept the conversation going. "You never tried to hide it from me that you were my Aunt and not my mum, but you never spoke of my mum either. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Amy you never asked..." Amy's Aunt Sharon paused. "I thought.. I thought you would figure it out; you were always so smart. I thought maybe if you saw the pictures you would be curious and ask me."

"Oh so too chicken to just come out and say, Amelia see this woman she's you're real mother?"

"Amy..."

"I'm sorry Amy I don't know what to say." Amy's Aunt Sharon felt Amy's pain. She had wanted to tell her so many years earlier, but she'd promised Sylvia and Donna that she wouldn't. Which was why she had so many times hoped Amy would just ask. "I was wrong for not telling you, I should have told you."

"Yeah you were wrong and you should have told me..." Amy looked down at her feet. "So was my father another one like Andy's? Is that why you didn't tell me?"

"No, Amy your father was someone who Donna; your mum worked with." Amy's Aunt Sharon paused. "She worked for; she was temping and she fell for his lies. I never met him, or saw him. I'm sorry."

"Doctor; now it's my turn to have to leave." Amy turned and walked away from both. "Please; make her leave and take me away from here. Please..."

"Amy I never wanted to hurt you."

"Give her time; let me talk to her." The Doctor walked Amy's Aunt Sharon to the door of the Tardis, and opened it.

"I did it mean to..."

"I know know you didn't mean to, but right now this isn't about you it's about Amy." The Doctor paused. "Sharon, she just met her mother; her recently deceased mother, she needs the time and the space to think. She can't be near you right now."

"And you can give her that?" Amy's Aunt Sharon looked back to Amy; she did so resemble Donna. "The time and the space away from me?"

"My Tardis can." the Doctor paused sensing the woman's reluctance to leave. "I promise when she's calm enough to understand what happened, and why you did what you did then I will bring her back."

Hearing the Doctor's words, Amy's Aunt Sharon gave in and left the Tardis, which was about the same time Amy fell to he knees crying.


	8. Chapter 8

**Later that night...**

"Look whose here Sylvia." Wilf entered the kitchen where Sylvia stood near the kitchen sink, staring out the window. "Amelia.."

"Amy gran-dad." Amy corrected him politely, which was in quite contrast with out she had answered her Aunt Sharon. "It's Amy."

"Amy; I'm sorry Love." Wilf still had his hands on Amy's arms as he walked her further into the kitchen. "Sylvia, Amy's here. She came back to see us."

"I.. I can come back if this is a bad time." Amy looked from her Aunt Sylvia who still hadn't turned to them. "Maybe I should go?"

"Nonsense. The last thing we need here now is an empty house." Wilf walked from Amy to Sylvia who finally turned to see Amy. "See Amy, she came back to check on us."

"Hi." Amy tried to smile and waved at her Aunt Sylvia who and only after she continued with "If this is a bad time I can come back." walked over and hugged Amy. "Or I can stay."

"Okay I'll put on the kettle for some tea." Wilf watched as the two woman stood there for what seemed forever, then just as they broke away from each other, began to make the tea.

"Amy.."

"I'm so sorry about Donna." Amy didn't know how to confess she knew about Donna so as soon as she spoke those words, she just came out with it. "And my Aunt told me, which is not what I'm sorry about when it comes to Donna."

"Pardon?"

"My Aunt told me about Donna being my mum." Amy waited then added. "I know."

"Oh." Sylvia paused as she walked Amy over to the table. "When? When did she tell you?"

"Earlier, before I came back now." Amy sat down at the same time Sylvia did. "I kind of figured it out, so I confronted her. She said she didn't think you knew; that Donna had come to her."

"Yeah I knew."

"So I guess that makes you my grandmother then?" Amy paused then added. "If you want to be that is; I would totally understand if you didn't want to be so don't worry."

"Amy, you're the only thing other then Andrew that I have left of Donna." Sylvia reached out and took hold of Amy's hand. "Why wouldn't I want that?"

"I don't know." Amy paused, her aunt now grandmother looked so different then she did earlier that day; not so much in her features but her eyes. She looked so tired, and so lost. "I'm sorry I wasn't here.. You know; maybe I could have helped her."

"Oh don't you worry love, it wasn't you're fault what happened with Donna." Wilf added, knowing she'd been there when he had his talk with the Doctor. Or at least soon after. "It was that whole Doctor thing with her, and that box."

"And we didn't help her either." Sylvia closed her eyes trying to think of everything she'd done to try and help, and if it were enough, or could she have done more. "And the police; why we ever let them interrogate her the way they did. Day after day as if she were a suspect and not the victim."

"What do you mean?"

"They started it at the hospital; showing her pictures." Wilf knowing it would take time for the kettle to boil sat down. "See cause Donna had been missing for so long, them twelve years and that man who'd been attacking her was part of this.. This..."

"Dad let me explain." Sylvia paused when she saw the red in her father's face, and that tiny vein that liked to pulse near his eyes when he got angry. "I know you have a hard time with this, more then I and I don't need to lose another one of my family members if you get all riled up telling about it."

"Okay then I'll go back to making the tea." Wilf stood then asked Amy. "No milk, three sugars and an ice cube to cool it down a bit?"

"Yes; but how did you know?"

"It's the way my Donna used to have it; you like them butter biscuits as well?"

"Love em'" Amy smiled. She knew she had a lot in common with Donna already with the Doctor and all, but this was something she had in common that made her happy. "The little Doggies right?"

"Of course the little doggies; get you a plate of them now." Wilf hurried off to the cupboard. "Donna always liked one before her tea was ready."

"Dad she's not Donna..."

"I know love, but she's the closest thing I've got left, and besides I don't think she minds." Wilf looked to Amy for assurance. "Do you love? At least for a while."

"No Gran-Dad I don't mind at all."

"Good, good then I'll get you those cookies."

"Aun.. Gram." Amy waited for Sylvia's reaction which was a small yet sincere smile. "You said the police were questioning Donna, my mum but why? She was the victim."

"I know, but seems the man who had attacked her, he was wanted in some underground sex thing. Movies, and that sort" Sylvia ran her hand through her hair. "They thought Donna was involved, maybe one of the girls they used or someone who worked for them who wanted out."

"Oh right like my mum would work for someone like that; Oi, what were they thinking?"

"They weren't love." Wilf answered for Sylvia as he placed the plate of biscuits in front of Amy. This time his tone showed more of a clam to it as he continued. "They didn't care to; kept shoving them pictures of women in front of her. Over and over again till she had that fit.. "

"Nervous breakdown right in the middle of the police station, and hey still didn't believe her." Sylvia took over for her father. "Said she was being dramatic in order to hide something."

"Poor girl is cowering in a corner of the room frightened out of her mind begging them to stop and there tossing more pictures to her." Wilf took the conversation back. "She lost it; no one could get through to her, had to call in someone to sedate her. She was in that hospital for over a week before she could come home, and all because of those cops."

"If Donna wasn't right after the attack when she came home, which she wasn't by all means." Sylvia paused then added. "then she wasn't right after that."

"How?"

"Nightmares love." Wilf answered a lot calmer then he had been when he first stated to explain. "Terrible nightmares, worse then when she came back to us. She used to wake up screaming, didn't know where she was. Your gram had a hell of a time getting her to; I don't know, come back from wherever she was."

"Then she'd ask me if it were true? Would she or could she do something like that?" Sylvia bit back tears. "I kept telling her no, she was a good girl and everything I said to her that last night just, I didn't mean it."

"What did you say to her?"

"Oh that's water under the bridge; like the water's that's now boiling." Wilf went back to the tea. "Get your cup done first like I used to for Donna. She always liked to be first in line for the tea; said it was hotter."

"It is." Amy agreed with Wilf, then went back to Sylvia. "So she had no idea what happened during those years?"

"No. She feared it thought; something awful." Sylvia again recalled those nights when Donna would wake up drenched, screaming out of her mind. "She was worried that if they did those things with her, to her. Made those movies, and took those pictures... What it would do to us? How she would have shamed us? I kept telling her even if they did, it wasn't her fault but she wouldn't listen to me."

"What happened when she found out she was pregnant?"

"You ever hear someone say they were on there last nerve?" Amy nodded when Sylvia asked. "She was on her last nerve, and it broke. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't talk and hardly slept any. Then once Andrew was born, she I don't know."

"It was an up and down two years with Donna." Wilf placed Donna's cup in front of Amy, the steam coming off the top. "More downs, them Doctors had no idea what they were talking about and those medications they gave her just made it worse."

"Dad she was delusional, they had to do something." Sylvia covered her mouth, then her eyes. It was all too much for her, she right at that moment, needed to be alone. So any only after saying. "I'm sorry Amy.." she got up and left the room.

"She suffers so." Wilf sat near Amy with his cup of tea. "Do you dunk your biscuits?"

"Of course, is there any way else?" Amy picked up the biscuit and dunked it head first into the cup. "Look it's taking a drink."

"Careful now, you're gonna get it's scarf wet."

"My aunt never let me do this." Amy laughed then paused and explained. "I used to have to wait till she left the room, then I would pretend it was her. I know that sounds awful but..."

"Nah, Donna used to do it all the time, and if Sharon is anything like Sylvia she deserved it."

"So what did she say to Donna that night?" Amy asked even though she knew the topic was touchy. "Gram what did she say?"

"She didn't want Donna to go; they got into an argument about what she was wearing." Wilf paused then figured he should just tell her everything. "Where she was going. Who she was going with, then she brought up you."

"Me? Why me?"

"Donna had this thing with men; she never thought she was good enough so she always picked the ones would treat her like she was trash." Wilf looked towards the way Sylvia had left. "Don't find that too hard to figure out with the way my daughter used to treat her."

"Overly judgmental?"

"All Donna wanted was to be loved, but she had this shell you know, from years of listening to her mum." Wilf took a breath then let it out. "No one could get through it, or see past it. All they saw was this obnoxiously loud person. But she wasn't like that Donna; she cared about people just no-one knew how to, or wanted to, take care of her. It was the same thing over and over again, especially with men. Donna would fall for the wrong guy, Sylvia would tell her, Donna would try to prove her wrong and every-time..."

"Donna would prove her right."

"And my Daughter, I love her to death, but believe me you... sometimes; Sylvia; that woman can be the backside of a horse."

"But she had you; my mum did..."

"Always Love, that was my Donna." Wilf spoke with tears in his eyes. "She was everything to me; used to come up on that hill out back with me and stare up at the stars. Ain't used that olde telescope of mine since.."

"Now?"

"Hmmm?"

"I see a thermos over there; why don't we pour the rest of the water in it and we can go use it now?" Amy paused. "Unless you don't want to, with me."

"Oh love to; it would be an honor. It's just..." Wilf paused then thought about the times he spent with Donna on that hill, staring at the sky and changed his mind. "You know what Amy, it's just nothing, yes I would love to. You make way with the Tea and I'll go get the old thing from the garage."

"Deal." Amy held out her hand to Wilf Shook then hurried off to get the telescope.


End file.
